England captain Andrew Strauss and his team fulfilled one of their goals for the Ashes tour with a thumping innings and 157-run at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to regain the famous urn on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years. A win or a draw in the fifth and final Test starting tomorrow in Sydney would see England win their first series in Australia in 24 years, and meet the second of their goals for the series.

Given their form and professionalism except for the third Test in Perth, England should be favourites going into the Sydney Test. Australia, though, under stand-in captain Michael Clarke, would want to restore some pride and will look to sign off with a win to level the series and redeem themselves in their fans' eyes.

Australia have had a tremendous record at the Sydney Cricket Ground since February 1990, winning 14 (including seven on the trot) and losing only three of the 23 Tests played in this period, and this should also help Clarke galvanise his troops for this face-saving Test. England last won a Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2003 by 225 runs under Michael Vaughan's leadership.

THE BAGGY GREENS

Australia goes into a Test without Ricky Ponting, who is being rested to allow his fractured finger to recuperate ahead of the 2011 World Cup, for the first time since the tour of India in 2004-05. His absence has paved the way for Clarke to become Australia's 43rd Test captain, and he couldn't use a bigger occasion to not only get back amongst the runs but also prove to his detractors that he still has first claim to be Ponting's successor.

Ponting's absence means 24-year-old Usman Khawaja is set to make his Test debut at the SCG and in most probability will bat at the one-drop position. Khawaja, who plays for New South Wales, made his first-class debut in February 2008 against Victoria; and has since scored 2068 runs including six centuries and 10 half-centuries with a highest score of 214 at an average of 51.70.

Shane Watson apart, none of other Australia's top-order batsmen, have made any meaningful contributions in the series and that hasn't helped their cause; and it has been left to three-drop Michael Hussey and wicket-keeper batsman Brad Haddin to stitch together some rear-guard partnerships. Hussey (525 runs at an average of 75), Watson and Haddin are the only three Australian batsmen to score more than 200 runs in the series. Hussey would be looking to make amends for his double failure in Melbourne, while Watson will hope to make his first century of the series after failing to get to the three-figure mark despite scoring four half-centuries.

The onus is squarely on Watson, Phillip Hughes and Clarke to deliver the goods; and Khawaja too would be eager to make a good first impression, and help set the foundation for Hussey and Haddin to finish the innings with a flourish.

The unheralded Michael Beer, who was the 12th man in Perth and Melbourne, is also going to make his Test debut at the SCG. Beer, who will become the 10th spinner to be tried out by Australian selectors in Tests since Shane Warne's retirement, would hope to emulate Peter Taylor, who took eight wickets on debut at the SCG to help Australia register a consolation win in the 1986-87 series.

Ryan Harris's ankle fracture has robbed Australia of a lion-hearted performer with the ball, and in his absence, the pace duties will be handled by Peter Siddle, Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus with Doug Bollinger handling 12th man duties. Siddle with 13 wickets at 28.69 and strike rate of 53.6 is the only Australian bowler in the list of top five-wicket takers in the series, which is a fair indication of the home team's struggles with their bowling attack. Johnson was at his best at the WACA, but has been pedestrian in the first and fourth Tests; while Hilfenhaus can't be faulted for lack of trying, but he has taken only four wickets in the series at an average of 73.50 and strike rate of 178.5.

THE THREE LIONS

Apart from Paul Collingwood (70 runs at 14), the rest of England's top six, have been in good form with the bat. Vice-captain Alastair Cook, the leading run-scorer in the series with 577 runs at 115.40; and Jonathan Trott (445 runs at 111.25) have led the way with Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell all contributing important runs.

Wicket keeper-batsman Matt Prior, who scored 85 in England's only innings at the MCG, also looks to have regained his touch with the bat. This could potentially be Collingwood's last Test match, and the veteran right-handed batsman, who has found runs hard to come by in recent times, would be hoping for a memorable swansong.

England's bowlers led by James Anderson (series-leading 17 wickets), who has been ably supported by Steven Finn and Chris Tremlett, have overcome Stuart Broad's absence because of injury mid-way through the series admirably. The hall mark of England's pacers through the series has been swing and length bowling.

Finn would have hoped to be back in the playing XI at the SCG after being rested in Melbourne, but his replacement Tim Bresnan, who bowled brilliantly and took six wickets at the MCG, is likely to retain his place in the line-up.

Graeme Swann has taken 13 wickets, but it has been a rather up-and-down series for him - he took five wickets at the Adelaide Oval and bowled well in a containing role in Melbourne; but he was ineffective in Brsibane and Perth. The SCG is supposed to be a spin-friendly wicket and Swann would want to cap his "dream year" with a match-winning performance.

PITCH

The track at the Sydney Cricket Ground has traditionally been a spin-friendly wicket and is likely to take turn from the third day. But, with swing also expected at the SCG, England's pace trio and Johnson would be itching to have a go at the opposition batsmen.

WEATHER FORECAST

Showers are forecast in the first half of Monday (the first day of the SCG Test). But, this should not be cause for much concern, as time lost can be made up with the forecast for the remainder of the match being dominated by clouds and not rains. The average maximum and minimum temperatures in Sydney during the match are expected to be 23 and 18 degrees respectively.